Cost: free

“Faith, Reform, and Mission: When the Church Becomes an Obstacle” will be the topic of the Alverno Lecture by Father Joseph Chinnici, OFM on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. in the North Campus auditorium, 2702 Spring St.

For the last thirty years, three waves of public revelations about clergy sexual abuse and episcopal malpractice have shaped the Church’s social image and shaken the faith of many believers. In the midst of this challenge, Francis of Assisi’s unique understanding of the faith, the theology of Bonaventure, and the reforming inheritance of the Franciscan family have a significant contribution to make in discovering a path forward. Father Joseph P. Chinnici, OFM, Franciscan friar of the Saint Barbara province has engaged with the struggles of leadership in the midst of the sexual abuse revelations for the last thirty years. His 2010 book on this topic received national awards in pastoral theology. After ordination and the reception of his doctorate from the University of Oxford, Father Chinnici served as professor of Church History, Provincial Minister, and President of the Franciscan School of Theology, where he currently teaches as Professor of History.